To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for additional uses of funds for grants to strengthen historically Black colleges and universities, and for other purposes.

If passed, HBCUs gain flexibility to use federal strengthening grants for arts infrastructure and student support, potentially allowing institutions like Howard University, Spelman College, and others to stabilize and grow arts departments that might otherwise shrink. The bill does not appropriate new money, so the actual impact depends on how institutions prioritize—some may shift existing grant dollars to arts, others may not. Analogous expansions of federal flexibility—such as 2008 changes to Perkins Career and Technical Education funding to include STEM pathways—show that broadening permitted uses can help institutions address emerging workforce needs, though impact varies by institution capacity. The bill's lack of new appropriations means no direct budget cost to federal accounts, but also means any HBCU commitment to arts would come at the opportunity cost of other programs. The stated goal—increasing Black representation in museum leadership from 4% to higher levels and in arts business ownership from 2.5% to higher levels—depends on successful job placement and career advancement of HBCU arts graduates, which the bill does not guarantee.